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Help! My Hard Drive Is Full!


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I've known for a while that it was filling up, and have been trying to move things around. But today, it's at crisis stage! 74.5GB total, only 101MB free!!!!

There's a D drive with 205GB free, so I've moved all my movie files, zip files, and a bunch of photos over. Trying to get rid of all .PSD files I'm done with (keeping JPEG copies).

 

So here are my questions:

*what's the best way to convert the .psd files to jpegs (PSE 6 is moving slooowly)

*how risky would it be to move PSE6 from one disc to another? I've dragged and dropped a bunch of other files over, but I'm afraid to do so with PSE.

*is there something else I could do to clean stuff out? (Computer genius son is coming home from college this weekend - he might be able to help, but he's not too excited about bailing me out on this AGAIN)

 

I have an EHD, but I've found that when I put stuff on it, I wind up with 3 copies on ACDSEE, and only one will open (hit and miss as to which one). Maybe I'm using the EHD incorrectly....

I'm not in a panic, because everything's backed up on Carbonite, and my photos are on another computer, too. But I can't use PSE right now.

 

I know JUST enough to be dangerous, so anything you can suggest will be MOST appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Nancy

 

(PS - trying to talk DH into a laptop that's for MY use only, so I don't have the kids' games and everything else on my scrappin' computer!)

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Don't ever put anything in the D drive. Thats for the System to be able to run. You are using your EHD Correctly. You just have ACDsee set up incorrectly. You should be able to edit ACDsee to only show the folders you want from your EHD and your C drive. I would recommend you get another EHD to put extras on like photos. Do NOT move PSE off the C Drive or it will not run. Check your Garbage Bin, Temporary Internet Files and extra programs you do not use or need in your control panel under add and remove software. Sometimes your computer whatever windows program you use vista or Xp will put in games you don't play or put in old unused software like Word 2003! As to your children's games...you should talk to your husband about putting their games on an old Xp computer for them to use only rather than a laptop for you. It will be cheaper that way.

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Oh, i wouldnt delete the psd files forever! If you need to change or something, oh dear! ... instead can you back them up on cds? That way you if you dont get a jpg, you can still use the cd to pull it up and get a printed copy from it!

 

I also would look at programs you dont want to use... So many programs get installed at the factory that you just probably dont use. Also sometimes when i download and install something, it installs ALL the options... sometimes i dont do that. Any games on your computer? thsoe take up a ton of room. Just got a warning the other day that my HD was getting full, and i removed one game which freed up almost 19 GB. (graphical games! lol)

 

Oh, and are you keeping your SG zips? If i were you id just throw those all on a CD also.

 

I hope that helps!

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There's a free app called FastStone Image Viewer that can batch convert from .psd to jpeg, bmp, gif, png, tiff, or jpeg2000 fairly quickly.

 

There are other apps out there that batch convert, but this is by far the neatest and handiest. It even views my RAW pics!

 

I just bought a new 500 G Passport to use exclusively for pictures, and I HAND transferred them from one HD to the Passport to minimize any duplication. So far, so good.

 

If you're running Vista, you should also check into an app in your programs folder called Windows Photo Gallery. It does just about everything that ACDSEE does, I think.

 

As far as cleaning out your old EHD, how about reformatting it? Of course, AFTER taking everything off you want to save.

 

Good luck....I'll stay posted to see what you do!

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Check your temporary internet files - chances are you have a pile of them. Also check your temporary files. When using PSE I've noticed they pile up in there. Last time I deleted them on my old computer, I freed up 40 GB!!

 

I have vista now, but as I remember in XP you would them something like this: Your computer>your user name>documents and settings>temporary files (or temporary internet files) They should both be there.

 

Good Luck!

 

Also, check your configuration on ACDSee. You can point it where to go. You might have to redirect it. Go to Options in ACDSee and look around and you should find it.

 

Also, when I had two hard drives on my computer I had one set for all the operating files and software (C drive) and the second for all my photos, scraps etc. Never try to move your software programs out of the program files because I understand they won't work properly.

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You can use ACDSee to identify and remove duplicate files. I would also burn things to DVDs, like your .PSD files. I wouldn't delete them. I think you can do batch processing in PSE, which will allow you to convert multiple files to JPEGS at once, but again, I would save the PSDs to DVDs (or CDs -- I like DVDs because they hold more) first. You might want to do a little cleanup first, though, because your system might be slowed by the full hard drive.

 

If you haven't already, I'd run disk cleanup and dump your recycle bin and get rid of all your temp files. Also, programs and stuff you don't use. Vista is a memory hog and if that's the OS you're running you might try to google ways to make Vista more streamlined. I know there is a thread on the MB about that (and I posted there!) in the Vista users section.

 

You have to keep all your program files on your hard drive, so you cannot move PSE.

 

You can store all digi-scrapping supplies on an EHD and keep them totally off your computer's hard drive. I've read that some people here do that and it seems to work just fine. I would continue to back-up on CDs or DVDs though, since all drives fail at some point.

 

Maybe you can give your kids their own EHD to store all of their stuff on (music, movies, etc.) and that might save you some space, too.

 

Good luck!

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Wow! You all are the BEST!! (Like I ever doubted....)

I've managed to get up to 8.5GB freed up - still looking for more.

Will check with above mentioned genious son, but I've had a bunch of stuff on my "D" drive (the one with 205GB free) for a while, with no issues. My main drive is "M", and there's also a "Z - recovery". (I told you I know just enough to be dangerous!)

I will NOT move PSE or ACDSEE. Thanks for the warnings.

Off to track down those temporary files, then load up a few CDs with extra stuff. Oh, and read here on how to use my EHD better.

 

Thanks again for all your help!

Nancy

 

PS - in case it matters - I'm using XP

And the desired laptop is so that I can join y'all in Salt Lake!

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